Another icy weekend, another cheap urban hike . . . out the door, along the street, down to the greenway and on toward town.
Yes, it was cold. And windy. And The Day Hiker would, I guess if I had pushed, done the up-to-McAfee we’d talked about. But I didn’t and we did get in not too far from the same mileage–though without the good climb–on this urban walk.
It was cold enough that our over-under on how many bicyclists we’d see on the Roanoke River Greenway (four), was not even approached (one, gliding with the wind behind him).
It was cold enough that we were both walked in the big magic jackets we usually bust out only on the coldest woods hikes, and then just at lunch.
It was cold enough that we succumbed to a dining pleasure we don’t often allow ourselves. Mexican! With big ol’ plastic baskets of chips’n’dip before you even order! Big goofy drinks with salt on the rim of the glass!
And even with all that, The Day Hiker showed me her fingers mid-meal, in a warm room (well, we were next to the window) full of warm people; they had their usual winter-hike whiteness from major knuckle to tip. Far warmer than they’d have been on McAfee Knob, I should have pointed out.
The walk home was westward, and the wind that had been behind us was no longer. But as usual, we took the shorter way through the bluster.
Our house to Alejandro’s Restaurant and back. About 6.5 miles.
